Summa Netherynthica

By JA Laflin

When a mysterious book is found in the ruins of an ancient Parisian library, doctoral students Colin and Jean become obsessed with discovering its secrets. With the sudden murder of their professor, they escape to a cabin for a weekend of relaxation and... translation? What they don't expect is that the book will envelope them in more ways than one, testing them against their current desires, their past mistakes, and their very understanding of reality itself. 

 

Summa Netherynthica is a collection of connected stories revolving around the central themes of existential horror, identity, transhumanism, insecurity, alternative worlds, future possibilities, love, sex, and death. Strange tales of cavemen, angels, gods, aliens, cyborgs, and queer love all culminate around the impossible existence of the Netherynth and the strange book which reveals its secrets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Agnec Press
• Release date: Sep 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223924005

JA Laflin

Even though they have degrees in both Ministry and IT/Programming, all JA Laflin really wants to do is write... And sometimes draw. A citizen of the West Coast, JA Laflin lives in the Portland, OR metro area with their partner, their kids, and a big orange tabby named Glitter. They also run Agnec Press and are the author of demiGod and various other works.

Book preview

I.  Two Brothers

Wake. See. Burning sky in the cave-home. Breeze. Smell.

We hunt together. Us kin. Beast with teeth. Claws. Blood. Together, we catch and kill. Cut. Eat. Give to all kin. Eat.

Hunt and search. Food. Give and eat. Then rest. Happy. Warm.

Awake. Blood. Fear. Spears. Others.

They kill us. They take mates. Take young. They steal. Burn us with death flower. They make strange sounds. Confusion. Pain.

They raise hands. More strange sounds. They sing. They ignore us.

They kill us.

Forever.

The preceding text has been a thought experiment featuring a speculative event in prehistory. It features the self narration of an individual living sometime between 45 to 50,000 years ago.

After several years of delicately excavating a newly discovered rift deep in the Bitlis mountains of southeastern Turkey, a wealth of both h. s. sapiens and neanderthal bones have been uncovered. This site is unique for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the trove of tools, cave art, and other artifacts are all well preserved due to the long-time closed nature of the cave system.

Genetic studies–as well as previous archaeological discoveries–have since proven the interconnected relationship that early modern humans had with neanderthals, but there has been no confirmed early artistic depictions of what one can definitively call neanderthal. That is, until now.

The rift, now known as Johnston’s Rift–named after its discoverer, archaeologist Doctor Richard Johnston of the University of Melbourne, Australia–is located at the northern foothills of Mount Doğruyol. The region’s importance–politically as a crossroads of major cultural exchange between Mesopotamia, the Middle East, West Asia, and Continental Europe, and geographically as an area whose diverse mountain ranges act as a watershed for the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers–made it a good candidate for discovery.

Due to some relatively recent and currently unknown tectonic anomaly, Johnston’s Rift unveiled a deep cave system not far from a small mountain village in the green-speckled leeward side of Mount Doğruyol. Remnants of an ancient encampment were discovered on the floor of the main cave–now known as Toryn’s Cave, after the American student James Toryn who stumbled across it almost accidentally–some 25 to 30 feet deep. Many of the team were reminded of southern France’s Chauvet Cave for its cathedral-like qualities. Toryn’s Cave is nearly 20 feet across before it branches into several other smaller caverns and corridors. The ceilings are nearly 15 feet high in some places. What captured our interest the most of course were the intricate cave paintings found on nearly every square inch of the ancient limestone walls.

The cave art appears to tell a fascinating story and is the most unique thus far discovered. It is unique for its sequential storytelling, the consistency of the technique, its age–dated between 45 to 50 thousand years ago, the oldest known cave art on record–and of course for the story that it appears to tell.

At first glance, the abstractness of the art made it a challenge to decipher, but once we were able to study in depth, patterns and details began to emerge. Our ancient artists depicted themselves as simple figures, almost stick-like but with more sophistication and intent than what one expects of a young child. Then there were other figures, noticeably shorter and rounder than the first group, but still human-like.

A pattern emerged, one of us versus them. Several theorize that these distinctly unique representations depict both humans (the stick-like figures, or type A) and neanderthals (the squatter, rounder figures, or type B). This is not only based on the art of course, but also on the aforementioned plethora of both human and neanderthal bones and artifacts found surrounding the art and in the adjacent site.

As the study and interpretation of paleolithic art is–as the name implies–as much an art as it is a science, one must recognize the need for some educated speculation in the process of these interpretations. While at first it was not entirely assumed that figures B represented another hominid species, the otherness with which B was represented made it abundantly clear that figures A–clearly the artists themselves–viewed B as rivals if nothing else. Other evidence pointing toward B-as-neanderthal became evident, such as variant depictions of B-type figures with unique head shapes closely resembling neanderthal skull types. B-type figures were sometimes featured holding unique flint axes and adorned with feathers, matching–almost too conveniently–the same tools and adornments discovered with the nearby neanderthal remains. Further information on the remains and artifacts are forthcoming but are beyond the scope of this paper.

What has been deciphered of this cave art, within a speculative degree of accuracy, is the following:

The neanderthals settled the cave first. Several scenes depict them hunting and gathering alongside ancient fauna, some of which are currently extinct. One image seems to distinctly depict fire, but we can deduce its existence here thanks to the ancient remains of soot along the cave walls and markings on the ceiling.

Humans came next. Several images appear to show both humans and neanderthals seemingly coexisting for a time in the cave. One image depicts one individual from each group facing one another–but the intent isn’t quite clear to us, whether it is depicting friendship or strife. It has been speculated that these were both groups’ chieftains. Interesting is the lack of specific gender markers for either group, unlike later cave art which one can see from roughly 36,000 years ago. This is another area without a straight answer: Were these groups patriarchal or matriarchal? Perhaps it is irrelevant, but this image does seem to indicate that one individual led each group, so it can be ascertained that both groups had an individual figurehead of sorts.

The next sequence of images depicts the sun in various states, followed by the moon and its cycles. Next, there are two almost identical burning piles. They are altar-like, each blooming with flame, but a human individual stands by one while the sun stands overhead; A neanderthal individual stands by the other altar while the moon stands overhead. These were clearly sacrifices, but it would be unfairly pure conjecture to speculate on the religious nature of these images. What has evoked more interest, is the next image sequence.

The human individual has approached the neanderthal and is attacking with a rock. A clear portrayal of premeditated murder, as the deepest of red ochre is used to depict the blood coming from the neanderthal’s head and no weapons are in sight. The next several images show a human individual–or perhaps the same individual–hiding from others of both groups while the sun and moon both share the same sky overhead.

Several more scenes of flora and fauna pass, and suddenly there are crowds of both groups facing each other with what appear to be flint spears and knives. Violence ensues. It appears that most of the neanderthal group either die or leave, although some depictions of human figures with sexually suggestive poses suggest that female neanderthal individuals were taken as survivors–likely for mating purposes.

Not much is left in terms of sequentially connected images. What can be potentially deduced here is an origins story of sorts. As if recorded for posterity, and perhaps as confession or from grief, this story may very well fill in the blanks concerning the demise of our distant cousins the neanderthals.

The thought experiment at the beginning of this paper is simply a possibility of how things occurred on that fateful day when neanderthals were overtaken by their once friends and allies. It is a Cain and Abel story in its own right. A loss of innocence, and a grave warning for humans in the millennia to come.

II.  The Overpass

I watched from afar as the events unfolded. The creature was a thing of terrible beauty. Of otherworldly horror and majesty. With a horse's body it sauntered into the old city. With a man's face and upper torso, it beat its bare breast and issued a bizarre cry into the putrid air. It reared its antlered head and raised a long staff skyward, eyes gleaming as though the end of days had come.

They very well may have. I continued watching from my distant perch. The old slum grew chaotic at the creature's approach. People scrambled away, seeking shelter in the dilapidated buildings long since beyond repair. The creature walked slowly, observing its new environs.

It laughed and screamed in a thundering voice, I have come to pave the way! For I am the voice crying in the wilderness!

With a wave of the staff, the jewel at its top began to glow. A large orb of red swelled, engulfing the jewel. The creature swung the staff and the crimson orb launched a glowing beam into the nearest structure. The old tenement building cracked and crumbled, quickly succumbing to its fate and collapsing sideways along the path cut with such precision by the beam.

Screams rang out and many horrified citizens ran through the old alleys and side streets. As the dust cleared, several ragged onlookers seemed frozen in shock. The terrible but venerable creature turned to them, its hooves clopping on the cracked pavement, and observed the people as a god gazing upon its worshippers.

What have you done to my wilderness?!

Its bellowing voice sent shivers up the back of my neck. I watched as the people scattered like insects through the wreckage.

With another wave of the staff, an old skyrise split neatly in two and began to implode. Another building collapsed. Then another. Dust, noxious fumes, and black smoke billowed across the main road, and debris had scattered for half a mile in all directions. The creature laughed menacingly and sauntered along until reaching the already crumbling overpass.

Sirens split the momentary silence and flashing lights approached from various directions, contrasting against an ever-approaching nightfall. Upon the overpass, the creature now stood looking down upon the neglected streets rife with abandoned cars and sprawling trash tossed about by the wind. The sirens grew louder and the flashing lights grew brighter.

Finally, an SUV with police insignia along the doors had pulled up on the overpass, screeching to a halt and parking across both lanes. Its sirens ceased as two armed officers burst from it and immediately positioned themselves behind the vehicle, using it as a shield.

The creature looked at the men and laughed. In moments, a motorcycle patrolman had pulled up opposite the first vehicle, attempting to block the creature between them.

The police, visibly shaken and confused, shouted at the creature. Its horse-like lower body bathed in the glow of headlights and flits of alternating